EpiflleofS.Pawl to Titus. the ccmmardement is that thofe that are fpirituall mull euer labour to rellore *fenders by the fpirit ofmeehnes :and ueuer to remooue till all means ofref#oring haue beetle afl'ayed: fo that feueririe at ñrtl in thole that are fpirituall were metre crueltie. This foftneffe in the proceeding of the Church, bewraieth her loue of the partie,maketh his finne better known unto him; letteth him fee the danger ofit: and if all this be (corned and contemned , it heapeth coales vpon his head, and maketh theenfuing cenfure more tuft andheauy..}. Hereto ioyne the examplesofPaul,who turneth not to fcreritie till gentleneffe doe no good ; nor vfeth the rodde, fo long as the Spirit of meeknefie can preuaile : yeaof our Lord lefus, who pronounced not his woe again(] Corazin and Bethfaida, till other great meanes vied with them were reieC ed by them. Vfe. r. Hence may weegather the meaning of fundry places in the Scripture: as Rom.' 6.1 7.Brethren,f hefeechyoumirkthensdiligently which caufediuifiont and offences among y ou,andauoidthem: a.Ich, r o. Ifany come and bring not this doE rine, receiue him not: thefe and filch like places mutt bee vnderflood by this our text, namely, after admonition, and good meanesvfed for their reclaiming, theymuff be auoided and reie6ted,and not before. a. Ifheretikes muff thusbe dealt with, howmuch more arewe to deale louingly withbrethren, who fall not wilfully, but offrailtie? how careful] fhouldwe be to let them in ioynt againe tenderly; couering the bitter pill ofreproofe with fugred perfwafion ? how fhould the fpiric of Mofes coole and moderate the fpirit of Elias towards brethren ? Purely here mull be louing admonition,not once nor twice,but fooften as they offend, fo as it be not with contempt and fcorne of religion and difci- pline. Reiefi him] There is a twofold reie&ing of a man ; the one more pri- atate, whereby euery Chritlian is bound to forbeare the familiar conuer- fing with fuch as areopenly wicked and fcandalous in do6?rineor life : but elpecially theMinifler or Paflor,whofe life is moreremarkeableand . exemplarie muff be more careful] toauoide the companie of fuch. And this isby fotne thought to be heremeant, as if they aduifed Titus, that when inhis courfe he fhouldmeere with fuch a perfon, who after admo- nition and goodmeanes ofreclaiming him,fhouldail adde pertinacy to error; he fhould thenceforth leaue fuch anone to bin-if-elf-en-wither fami- liarly conueríngwith fuch, !call he fhould occafion others fo to doe: nor yet to neglea the Church in llriuing againll the lireame with fuel) a one: for all that labour werebut toll :whic a were it taken againfi weak- , nes and ignorance, it were hopeful!; but being againfi malice andoblli- nacie, is defperate; and therefore auoidehim, make not nor meddle with Yy r him, CHAP.3.ia 4 t.Corar.t. How muck morefreind, andbrethren. Reiettion pub. like &private.
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