6 34, offences howand when to On the Tuefdayafter be remitted or reproved. famebefore the honour oftheir owneCrowns. Theother, Thatthey whohaue defpifedandcontemned it, haue euer been heldbafe andvile. They that contemnme, (and in meemySpoufe and my Mini- fters)(hall bee eflcemed bufeand ignoble : As antongftthe Hebrewes itwas to bee feenein aSaul,anoziaa,&a ciYtanais : Among the Romans, in aPompeii's Mag- nus , whoprophaned thefacred Temple ofHienifalem yet du:ft notcone to touch it's Treafure ; foCiceroaffirmeth , &c. Thomas bath obferued , That Godeuer (hewedhimfelfe moremercifullin reuenging his owne wrongs, than thofe that were done tothe Minifters of his Church. The People of Ifrael! axed. 32. worfhippeda Calfe,and proceeded fofarre in wronging the Maieflie ofGod, that they flickednotto fay,This is that God which withamightie hand&out- ftretched arme freed vs from the Capriuitie of /Egypt. God punifhedthis their iniquitiewith the deathof fomeof the principali offendors. Dathanand tibi- Nxm. t6. ramrebelled againíl Mofes,andthe earth fwallowed them vpaliue. Sit tibi tanquamEtinicus &Publicanaa. Ifhe fhall not be obedientto the Church but fhall defpife the fentence of When the his Superiours, Let him be unto thee asa Heathen manand a Publican. In Leuiticus Salaecan he he Godcommanded, That they fhouldnot offervnto himany Sacrificeof hone y y; saw tnuat but he required the firft fruits thereof : hee will atfirft haue honey, that is,mild admonitrons,gentieperfuafions, andfriendly aduice ; but if thefe wil not ferue the turne,he vnfheaths his fword, and cuts theeofffrom the Church,pronoun- cingthisfentenceagain({ thee, Let himbeto theeas a Heathen and4Publican. Hee doth heere poynt out two forts of People, whichGods people did fhun and auoyd. Theone,Him that was a &(rangertohis Law. Theother,Him that wasapublique offendortherein:bothwhichhe wifheth vs toAle from. Fromthe one,That they may doe vsno hurt; For, a little leaven millfasre the whole Lampe. Fromtheother, That-beingtherebyafhamedoftheirfinnes,theymay repent and amend. Whereinhe feemeth to moderate the rigour of theOld Teflament : for in Dear. 117. Dettronomie he commandeth, That he that will not heare the High-Prieft, that má`miaeu than tbeLaw, man flaildie the death ; and thatfonne that(hall not be obedient to hisfather, !hall be (toned todeath. But God now (hewing himfelfe more mild and gen- tle, is contented that we fhould onely (hunne thecompanie of fuchas are dif- obedient,beingnobetterthancanker'd androtten Members,which may chance to infeaand purrifiethofe otherfound partsof the bodie. And albeit the ex- communicatingof thofe that conuerfe with them ( which courfe the Church nowtaketh) maykettle fomwhat ofthe feuereft,for that it comprehendeth not onely thenocent,but the innocent, as well the not offending,asthe offending; yet faid the Samaritanwoman, The loves doenot vfe tokeepecompaniewith Samari- tunes : And theyaccufed our Sauiour Chrift,for that hee dideatwithPublicans and Sinners ; andbecaufe he didbuttalke withaSamaritan, theycalled him, by wayoffcome,aSamaritan. . Thefe latterconditions ofdenunciating my brotherto theChurch, and of vfing him like an Heretickeora Moore,hauefeemed to theWorld tobe fome- what to hardteaching; and baptizeth theDenunciator by thename ofDeIa- tor, orpriuieAcculer, or anInformerorPromoter. Andeuenin thofeCom- munities
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=