- D not their rank, not walking according to Rule, or, as he expreſſeth it, | 1 Not according to the tradition which be received of us, What is to be 1 meant by Tradition, is explained in the former chapter. And he can- 1 not be underſtood to ſpeak here of Rites and Ceremonies relating to 1 Church Worſhip, or- Order, as ſome imagine. The Apoſtle doth in the following Verſes explain himſelf otherwiie. But what is this withdraw- \- ing ? Is it Excommunication the greater or the leſs ? In a general lence e it may be ſo called, for it is an abſtaining from Communion, but it is '$ not ſo properly ; for that is called putting away a perſon, 4 purging out r the old leaven, 1 Cor, 5. 7. this is only a withdrawing from him, much is leſs it is a delivering up to Satan, which the Apoſtle required, 1 Cor. J- 5. and himſelf inflicted upon &#ymeneus and Alexander, 1 Tim. 1. laſt. y The nature of the crime here mentioned will not bear that. Tt was not | ſhould he eat y. N- Inceſt or Blaſphemy, as in the former Inſtances, but only diſorderly h walking, which he ſpecifies afterwards, And with reſpe& to ſuch the ie Apoſtle required in the former Epiſtle, warning only, warn the unruly, 1, And though this is ſomething more, yet it implies nota caſting a man y out of the Church,which is Chriſt's viſible Kingdom, into Satan's King-| e 3 4 >. W rom familiar converſe and ſociety. As 1 Cor. 5. 11. If any man that is ly ; ; IC alluding to the cuſtom of the Jews who would not eat with the Gen- God, or of Chrift, or from infallible Inſpiration, he calls it a permiffi- U- tiles, and by eating is expreft Communion in Scripture, and prophane on, as 1 Cor, 7. 6. but when otherwiſe, he ſaith, 1 command, and yt Fe OG alſo, - ſuch Communion is forbidden » ſuch a Brother, WICh the Apoſtle allowed them to have with ſuch ſinners that were of r. 14. 29. and this in the Text is not his alone,but the Lords
}f "__ the World, and not of the Church, as verſe 10, which cannot be meant Jn, 5 Or: 24. ' }
|. 6 of ſacred communion. And familiarity with ſuch a Brother would har- bs Griſt den him in his ſins, and refle& diſhonour upon Religion, and indanger "a _ infeion more than with a Pagan,or Infidel ; which therefore the w poſtle forbids them to a Brother. As he did the Corinthians mention- = ed before, as alſo the Komans, chap, 16. 17, And which may be a ſtep 1 towards excommunication from Spiritual communion ; which is the = greater puniſhment,eſpecially if the brother be not hereby made aſham- as ed, and reform his courſe, and doth not only now and then do a diſor- 3. "”" erly ation, but walks dijorderly, and that after warning alſo, Others = l _ o s$ meant of Excommunication, and judge not the reaſon againſt
bo cogent,
ga 7 For your ſelves know * how ye ought to follow us :
VOL, Il
and the Apoſtles —_— =— , in the Text iscogent from Nature ;
Fs
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r, Au-
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rg 10- thing.
* :Theſ.4, il,
[| Or,faint or,
Chap. III.
it ſelf, Agreeable to that of Solomon, Prov. 16. 26. He that laboureth,
Iaboureth for himſelf, for bis mouth craveth it of kim, whereupon ſome judze theſe believing Theſz/ontans, to be generally a People that lived by ſome handicraft Trade, or ſome other manual Labour, And the eat- ing here intended, is meant of relief from the ftock and charge of the Church z ſuch ſhould not be relieved, whow!l/ not work, as it1s 1n the Text, who could, but would not, the fault being in the Will.
11 For we hear s that there are ſome among you 7?
jOr,wort- which walk diſorderly, [| not working at all z, but are buſie bodies w.
s The Apofile gives the reaſon of this Diſcourſe he fell into, about diſorder, and commends, yea, commands a remedy againſt it, He had heard of this diſorderly walking, elſe his Diſcourſe might have been
_ eſteemed vain and needleſs. Reports are to obtain credit according to
the qualirr of the perſon that makes them, his end therein, and proba- hility of iruth. He took notice of reports, brought to him about the Diviſions that were at Corinth, x Corinth. 11. 16. t And the perſons that he here charged the report upon, is not all, but ſome only, and he nameth none, For as to the body of the Church be bad confidence they aid, and would do the things be commanded, vere 4. And requires them to withiraw from the diſorderly. And the diſorder he chargeth upon theſe ſome is u 1. Myd%y &g3aCoperes. That mop worked 10t at all, at leaft, not the work of their own place, as it follows, w 2. But are buſie bodies : Buſie, and yet idle, and not working. aftzze2aC opueres,Cu- rieufement, French Bible, as the curious Arts of Sorcerers are call'd Ripa, AFR, 19. 19, The work ſignifies working 4bour, and denotes either vain curioſity, medling in matters that they ought not, or go- ing round their proper work, but not falling, or fixing upon it, The fame Apoftle ſpeaks of younger Widows, 1 Tim. 5. 13. who learnt tobe jdle, and yet were buſie bodies; and ſuch are called dNoTerotmoo nl. x Pet, 4. 15. And the one follows from the other; for they that are jdleand negle& their own buſineſs will be apt to intermeddle with ano- thers: And they that are not keepers at home, will be gadders abroad, and ſo not eat their own but others bread, which the Apoſtle here re- proves, as diſhonourable to the Chriſtian Profeſhon ; and as a further remedy, doth with much earnefigels addrels his ſpeech particularly to them,
12 * Now them that are ſuch we command and exhort
by our Lord Jeſus Chrii#. x, that with quietneſs they
work y, and eat their own bread <,
x Be had before given command to the Church to withdraw from them, verſe 6, And now he lays his commandment upon themſelves, and that in the name of Chriſt, y Working is ſet oppoſite to their idle- neſs, and quietneſs to their buſte medling where they ought not, where- by they might occaſion ſtrife, The Apoftle here, and in many other places requires Chriſtians to live peaceably, as 2 Cor, 12. 11. Col. 3+ I5. 1 Theſſ, s. 13. Heb. 12-14. 7 Not to live as drones upon others la-
- bours, yet he forbids not dealing their bread to the hungry ; nor re-