an opportunity of judging, as prefbyters, in the cause.

"I verily (faid he) have judged already".--What was his judgment?" To deliver fuch an "one unto Satan." By what authority was this fentence to be pronounced ?" In the name of our "Lord Jefus."When was it actually to pafs?"When ye (fays he) are gathered together," before Timotheus, Stephanus, Fortunatus, and Achaius, I Cor. xvi. 10, 17. your immediate superiors in the Lord, to accufe and afk judgment against your back-flidden brother. The apoftle adding, "and "my fpirit," must be understood, as he expreffed before, of his being present with them in fpirit. Intimating, that his prayers fhould attend them, wherever and whenever, the Prefbytery of Corinth fhould conveen them, for the purposes mentioned.

Befides, by a careful attention to the 2d and 6th verfes, it will appear to be highly probable, that the whole intermediate paffage is a parenthefis, interrupting Paul's reproof to the Corinthians, by telling them what he had judged, and what, according to his judgment, behoved to be done. "Ye are puffed up, and have not mourned," were the articles of his charge against them, as expreffed in the first; and "your glorying is not good," was the fentiment he formed of their temper and practice, as expreffed in the last of thefe verses.

The duty of the believing Corinthians, in their private capacity, with refpect to the unhappy delinquent, was at the fame time, pointed out with fuch precision, as they might easily diftinguish it from the part which was incumbent on their officebearers, and quite peculiar to them.

They were indeed commanded to " put away, "from among" themselves," that wicked person "

But

But the fenfe in which they were to do fo, as diftinguished from the act of excommunication, which their office bearers, alone, could pafs, is explained by the apostle."I wrote unto you (faid he) "not to company with fornicators," Verf. 9. and now I have written unto you, not to keep com

pany, if any man, that is called a brother, be a "fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a "railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, with "fuch an one, no not to eat," verf. 11.

This, as diftinguished from the more immediate effects of minifterial excommunication, might have a particular respect to fuch intercourfe as was con fined to things of a fecular nature :-especially, fince it is thus qualified by the apoftle," Yer "not altogether with the fornicators of this world,

or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with "idolaters for then must ye needs go out of the "world," verf. 10. Intimating that, though it be lawful for faints to mingle, occafionally, with wicked and profane perfons, who pretend not to be Chriftians; they fhould by no means take even fuch notice of any profeffor of religion, whofe practice gives the lie to his profeffion. They fhould note fuch a perfon, "and have no company with "him," directly or indirectly, "that he may be "afhamed," 2 Theff. iii. 14.

It may farther be pled, for the brethren's right to act as Judges in matters of difcipline, that, to the churches of Galatia, the apostle faid, "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault,-.ye, "which are fpiritual, reftore fuch a one, in the "fpirit of meeknefs," Gal. vi. r.

It is obfervable, that Paul does not there fo much as fpeak of any one, in these churches, who was, at that time, in fuch circumstances as needed the interpofition exhorted to; nor of any church cens

fure

fure which they were to take off. He only fuppofed a cafe that might caft up, and reprefented their duty in fuch an event.

The cafe fuppofed is, that fome man might be overtaken in a fault i. e. without intending it, without approving of it, or continuing in it. This glofs is not only juftified by the word itself but more than infinuated by the argument ufed, -left thou alfo be tempted," Gak vi. 1.

But, it seems to be uncertain if the apostle confines his view here to church members at all. It is rather probable, that he extends it to all, whether of the church or the world. Accordingly, he does not fay, If a brother, but, "if a man,' whether a brother or not, " be overtaken."

-

Nay, it is more than probable, that the men of the world are pointed out in the cafe fuppofed,becaufe Paul calls the brethren Spiritual, as a proper contraft to carnal, which is the diftinguishing characteristic of the world. And if this was the cafe, no minifterial deed, restoring such a one, could have been competent ;-absolution being a privilege peculiar to church members.

The brethren's duty, as recommended in that paffage, is very far from being expreffive of a minifteral deed. "Reftore fuch a one," only fays, that wherever fuch a cafe occurred, they thould, according to their opportunities and abilities, endeaYour to apprize the man of his fault ;-by telling it to him alone, or if needful, before two of the brethren;-to put him upon the way of escaping from the fnare in which he was taken !- to furnish him with arguments for repelling the temptation afterwards to pray for him, at least, if not with him, that thefe endeavours might fucceed;-and to do all fo much "in the fpirit of meeknefs," as it fhould have

• Prolephtbe.

have no irritating tendency; but keep him from being "fwallowed up with over-much forrow," 2 Cor. ii. 7.

This paraphrafe will be fully juftified from the way in which the verb is applied in other paffages. Particularly, by Matthew, when he tells us, that, "Jefus faw two brethren mending their nets *," Matth. iv. 21. Intimating, that Chriftians, by ad vice, reproof, warning, encouragement, example and prayer, fhould endeavour to mend whatever they fee amifs in any man.

OBSERVATION III.

That the office-bearers at Antioch, as diftinguished from the brethren, in that church, had a right to have given judgement in the important caufe; as appears from a celebrated precedent of the fame court, which our hiftorian bath happily preferved.

While they, fays he, "miniftred to the Lord and fafted, the Holy Ghoft faid, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have "called them; and, when they had fafted and "prayed, and laid their hands on them, they fent them away," Acts xiii. 2, 3.

Where, it is obfervable, that the order was not given to the church or disciples, but to the office-bear ́ers, at Antioch. And that we might labour under no uncertainty, as to the proper conftituent members of that prefbytery, the federunt is marked, and their names are recorded" Barnabas," namely, "Simeon, Lucius, Manaen, and Saul," Acts xiii. 1.

Nor is it lefs worthy of notice, that these prefbyters, Simeon, viz. Lucius, and Manaen, without the affiftance of one private church-member, carried

* Catartizontas.

that

that order into execution:-they prayed over Barnabas and Saul, laid their hands on them, and by a decree of court, they, at once, loofed their prefent connection with that particular church, and fent them away to move for a season, in a more public,-a more extenfive, and more ufeful sphere.

If Barnabas and Saul had not been fubject to their brethren, it is natural to think, that God would have moved them, by immediate infpiration, to decamp, without the interpofition of their coprefbyters at all; but, as he is not the author of "confufion, but of peace, in all the churches of "the faints," 1 Cor. xiv. 33. he influenced the proper officers to carry that part of his will into execution.

2

1

According, therefore, to this precedent, it is evident, that these prefbyters at Antioch might ex officio, have proceeded to a féntence, in the caufe now before them; in as far, at leaft, as it refpected their own flocks, without the interpofition of any fuperior authority whatever.

This prerogative of church officers, as diftinguifhed from the brethren's, may be illustrated by a variety of observations, evidently founded in the New Teftament.

Though it appears, that, when our Lord afcended, the number of the difciples was about an hundred and twenty, Acts. i. 15. the commiffion to go into all the world, and preach the golpel to

every creature," Mark. xvi. 15. was given to none but the eleven furviving apoftles or officebearers, verf: 14.

Accordingly, church-officers are directly enjoined, in the difcharge of their pastoral truft, to use the means of building up faints, in faith, holinefs and comfort; and impowered, as overfeers of their refpective flocks, to exhibit fuch warnings, admoni