[ajes of Conjcience. 2. Booke. I II. ~e(lion rouching Baptifrne. JPhether children ofexcom, municate perjo'm, rPhich are cafl out, and not holden as members of the Church, haue right to 73aptijme? A that in heauen,which theChurch doth vpon earth. Secondly,becaufe by their finne,they houe (as much as in them lieth) depriued thernfelues of the effectuallpower of Gods Spirit,which mightrule and gouerne them. But in other refpetlsthey aremembm,as will appeare, if we confider thediuersforts of members. For betterrefoluingof rhis~c!lion, rhe ground oftheAn(wer is fir!! to be laid down, and then the Anfwerdiret!ly to be made. There are two Texts of Scripture corn- B manly alleadged, concerning the force and v[e of Excornm~nication. Thefirfl, isMar. tS.the fecond,is I.Cor.s. Thefcope ofthem bothi'S, t0 fhew, that the man which is ex· communicated,ls barredfi'om thekingdome ofheauen. For bee is notto beholden a true member ofthe Church,butasaHeathen and a publicane: and therefore is put out ofGods kingdomc,and dcliueredvp to Satan. Ofthis weight is Excommunication. Now in Excomrnunication,rherearethree iudgements to bee co11r.dered. The fir!!, of God :thefecond,of the Church: the third a– gaine,ofGod. The fir!! is, when God cloth hold any ob– Oinatc finncr,guilric of his offence, and con.. C fequently guiltie ofcondemnation, vnielfe herepent. This is the fir!! fcntence. Thefc– cond i!, theiudgcment of Gods Churchvpon the offender, after that Godhath holden himguilty.Forthe iudgcmcnt ofthe Church .followeth the iudgement of God, and doth indeedenothing, but pronounce the partie guiltie, and fubiect to condemnatigo, And the d1fl'crence betwecne them both, is onely this; That God holdcs the offenderguilrie, and rhe Church declarerh him fa tobe. Now the fecond iudgement is not to bee giuen ab– folutely, but with condition of repentance, and fa farre forth, as man can iudge by the faultcommittcd, asalfo bythaword, which giues direction, how to difcerne of the im- D penitencie of the finner. The third and la£\ iudgcment is Gods, whereby heratifies and confirmes that in heauen, which the Church hath done on earth : and this in order fol– lowes thefecond. This ground bcinglaiddowne,Icome now to the Anli•er. F!f!l thercfore,theparties excommunicate, are in fame refpeds no members of ChriCls body,and inCome refpects they arc. They are not,in two regards. Firfl, in that they are cutoff from the cornpanicof belee– uers>byJawful cxcommunication,and fa haue no participation with th!!m,either in prayer, hearing the word, or receiuing the Sacra• mcnts. Thercafon is: for that theaction of the Church !lands m force; God ratifying Some are membersnot 4E1HAI'.J, and in pre.. fcnr, but in thr eternal! counfollof God,and are to beintim~whcnthey fhall be called, Thu• was Paul b'efore hi! conuerfion,and therefore hefaies ofhimfeife,that Godh•dfop•Md him from his nmhers womhe, ;;nd call~d him 6] hu grace,Gal.I.lS.Aifo ofhimfelfand cthtr be– Jeeuers he fa1es,whmwe wercenemus,n,ec wH·c r:cor.ciledto GDd,b1 thedc~~th of hisSrmnc, Rom. 5.10, Someagainc are memberson~ly in fuw ~ndafpttllrAnce; of which fort archypocrites, whichfecmc by their outward profefficn,to be that they arc not indecde• wherein they re– fcmble the wooddenlegge, th1t iscunnmgly fa!lened to the bodic,but indeede is ne lcgge, nor part of the bodie,whercro it isadioyned. A third fort are liueiy membera,which arev– nited vmo Chri!l by faith, and haue fellow– O,ip with God in him,beeingiu!lified,fancti– fied,gouerned and preferucd by his fpirir;and witball doe fcele,and lhcw forth the power of the fame fpirir dwelling in them. Of thcfe Paul fpeakcth, Rom. 8. 14. Asman; aJ are t.d bJ rhef}irit o(GoJ,thry arcthe(ommojqod.The fourth fort ared<eaied members, which thogh they belong to God• elet!ion, and are plants trulyingralied into thevine Chri!llefus,yet for the ptefent, hauenota liuely fen(c of rhe power, and vcrtue of the Spirit of Chrifi in them. Thefemaylitlybce rcfombledto rhe Jegge ofaman,orfomo other part,rhat hath the dead paJGe, which though it remaine for Come time,without feeling, and ~ncapableof nounO,menr,yet beingioyned to the bodic,it may by vcrtuc offomc ilrongmedicine, b•c recouered,and made whole as the other. Of \hisfort arc excommunicateperfom. For in regard oftheir ingraffing,thcy are rrue mcrnbers,and cannot be quitecuttcoff from the bodie of Chti!l,Ioh, to.: 8.rhough other– wife theyarc not holden fo to bee, ina three· fi>IJe refped. One in regard of men, becaufe they are <J<ciuded from their holy communion with rhe faithfull, by the Churches cenfurc. The fecond,in regQid of God,becaufc that which the Church rightly binderh on earth ; is bound in hcauen. The rhird, in regard .of themfdues, becaufe for a rime,they want the power and cflicacieofrheSpirit, vnrill they be throughly touchedwith repentance, and beginne (as it were) to liuc agame. Now, though in thcfe refpeCls, they bee not efieemcd members of the Church, yet· thetruth is, they are not wholly cut offfrom thefocictieof rhcfaithfull. Forthe feedeof faith rcmainerh in them, and that knits the bond
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=