Beveridge on Article XXXIII: Of Excommunicate Persons, how they are to be avoided

than what was long ago foretold; for the Spirit speaketh ea- pressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils ; speaking lies in hypocrisy ; having their consciences seared with a hot iron ; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, 1 Tim. iv. 1, 2,3; so that this doctrine they stand so stiff for, it is but the doctrine of devils, which we who desire still to stand fast to the doctrine of God dare not but deny, and con- dude that no one should be forbidden to marry, but that even bishops, priests, and deacons may marry at their discretion, as well as other Christian men.

That person which by open denunciation of the church is rightly cut off from the unity of the church, and ex- communicated, ought to be taken of the whole multitude of the faithful as an heathen and publican, until he be openly reconciled by penance, and received into the church by a judge that hath authority thereto.

T HE exercise of ecclesiastical discipline is as necessary for the right ordering of the church, as the execution of civil laws is for the governing of the state. I know it is the doctrine revealed in the gospel that is as the soul of the church, whereby it is quickened; but it is the discipline com- manded in the gospel that is as the nerves and sinews, whereby the members of the church are tied together, and every one kept in its proper place; and hence it is that Christ hath settled the discipline that is to be exercised, as well as revealed the doctrine that is to be believed by his church ; and the principal exercise of this church discipline consisteth in excommunication, that is, in the casting out from the public prayers, sacraments, and the communion of the faithful members of the church, all such as cause divisions and offences, Rom. xvi. 17; blasphemers, 1 Tim. i. 20; heretics, Tit. ii.10; all fornicators, covetous, idolaters, railers, drunkards, extortioners, 1 Cor. v. 11; all incestuous persons, v.13; yea, all such as neglect the admonition and discipline of the church,

Arr. XX XIII.

Of cacommunicated Persons, &c. 521

Matt. xviii. 15,16,17. So that if aman be excommunicated for a lighter offence than some think should be punished with such severity, yet if afterwards he shall slight and contemn his excommunication, and not at all matter nor seek to have it taken off, his contemning his being excommunicated is a sufficient ground wherefore he should stand excommunicated. And all that are excommunicated for any of these or the like offences are to continue under the same punishment, until they have manifested the sincerity of their repentance and sorrow for their sins, by public confession of them, and con- trition for them; after which, @as it was long ago determined in the first council of Orange, they are to be received into the church and the communion of the faithful again ; of which we have spoken more, art. XVI: and thus, by the power of the keys, heaven-gate is both shut to sinners and opened again to penitents.

But until they be thus openly reconciled to the church, our Saviour commands they should be to us as heathens and pub- licans, Matth. xviii.17; and well they may, for when once excommunicated they have no more right to any church- membership than the heathens and publicans have; and there- fore St. Paul commands us to avoid them, Rom. xvi. 17; not to keep company, no, not to eat with them, 1 Cor. v.11; to put away from amongst us such wicked persons, v.13; and St. John, not to receive them into our houses, nor bid them God speed, 2 John 10; so that when once they are excom- municated from Christ’s church, we are not to have any com- munion with their persons.

And truly, should it not be so, excommunication would signify nothing ; for therefore is it called excommunication, be- cause by it they are cast out of all communion with the faithful.

lat, culpam confitetur, poenitentiam implorat et de futuris cautelam spondet, tunc episcopus apprehensa manu ejus dextra in ecclesiam illum introducat et ei communionem et societatem Christianam reddat.

a Cum aliquis excommunicatus vel anathematizatus peenitentia duc- tus veniam postulat et emendationem promittit, episcopus qui eum excom- municavit ante januas ecclesice venire debet, &c.; deinde interroget epi-

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ART.

522 Of excommunicated Persons,

And if we consider the end of the exercise of this power, we should find it exercised in vain, unless this article be observed. The principal ends wherefore it is exercised are, first, that the person so excommunicated may be ashamed of his sin, 2 Thess. ili. 14, 15, and he is delivered to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved im the day of the Lord, 1 Cor. v. 5. Every one that is excommunicated is delivered unto Satan, for he is cast out of the church, where Satan reigns, as Christ within it. And the end of it is, that he may be brought to shame and confusion for his sin, and so turn to the Lord. So that it is exercised for the correction, not the destruction, for the cure, not the death of souls. But, if they be no more avoided after than they were before excommunication, the sting of the punishment is taken out, and it would become in a manner no punishment nor correc- tion at all. Secondly, notorious sinners and hereties are cast out of the church, °lest such as are in it should be corrupted by them, as the apostle himself intimates, when he, speaking of excommunicating the incestuous persons, addeth, Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? 1 Cor. v. 6; whereas, if such persons as are excommunicated should be conversed with, this end of their excommunication would be altogether frustrated, and the discipline itself superfluous ; for evil communications would still corrupt good manners, 1 Cor. xv. 33. And these therefore being the principal ends of excommunication, (together with the awe such punishments should strike into others, lest they should be guilty of the like sins,) as we cannot but wonder at the practice of such as ex- communicate persons when they be dead, as we find the first African council did Genimus Victor, so we cannot but con- demn the practice of those that do not endeavour to avoid

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cinalis, non mortalis, disciplinans, non eradicans, dum tamen in quem lata fuerit, non contemnat; caute provideat judex ecclesiasticus, ut in ea ferenda ostendat se prosequi quod corrigentis est et medentis. Concil. Lugdun. 1. decret. 12. [p. 405. vol. VII. cone. Hard. }

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XXXII. how they are to be avoided. 523

excommunicate persons, as heathens and publicans, until they be received again into the church.

Neither let any one think this is a new coined doctrine, for it was Gregory the Great’s council long ago, *“But such as are suspended from ecclesiastical communion, let no religious person be joined to, according to the commands of the canons.” And truly there are many canons of the primitive chureh that command this: as, the tenth canon attributed to the apostles, °“ If any one shall pray with him that is excom- municated, let him be also excommunicated.” The council at Antioch, f “It is not lawful to communicate with such as are excommunicated, nor to go from house to house to pray with such as do not pray in the church, nor for such to be received in one church as do not assemble in another. But if any bishop, priest, or deacon shall be found to communicate with those that are excommunicated, let him be also excommunicated, as one that confounds the order of the church.” The third, or, as some think, the fourth, council at Carthage : * “ Whosoever shall communicate or pray with one that is excommunicated, whether he beaclergy or a layman, let him be excommunicated.” The first council at Toledo: ®“If any layman be excommu- nicated, let no clergyman nor any religious person go to him or his house; and so likewise a clergyman, if he be excom- municated, let him be avoided by the clergy; but if any one shall be taken talking or eating with him, let him also be ex-

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& Qui communicaverit vel orave-

ad Eis vero qui ab ecclesiastica communione suspensi sunt nullus religiosus secundum canonum pre- cepta jungatur. Greg. epist. 1. [4. ep. 27. vol. II.] ad Januarium.

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Arr.

524 Of excommunicated Persons,

communicated.” The council at Auxerre: i“ It is not lawful to communicate with one that is excommunicated, nor to eat meat with him.” And presently: ‘ If any priest, or any of the clergy or of the people, shall knowingly receive one that is excommunicated, without the consent of him that excommu- nicated him, or shall eat bread with him, or appoint to talk with him, he shall have the like sentence passed upom him.” And the second Lateran council : ’‘‘ But whosoever shall pre- sume knowingly to communicate with one that is excommu- nicated, before he be absolved by him that excommunicated him, let him be held liable to the same sentence.” And thus I find the council of Sardice too, (in their synodical letters to all the bishops in the world recorded by Theodoret,) counsel- ling them ™that they command that none communicate with the Arians, whom they had excommunicated.

To these we might also add the many canons of the primi- tive church forbidding such as are excommunicated by one to be received into communion by another: as the famous coun- cil at Nice; ®“ Concerning those that are excommunicated, whether of the clergy or lay order, let this sentence, according to rule, be observed by the bishops of all provinces, command- ing that they that are cast out by one be not received by others.” The same was also decreed in several other councils : as °in the council of Arles, and Pothers; and among the rest

i Non licet cum excommunicato communicare, vel cum eo cibum sumere. Concil. Antisiodor. c. 38. [p. 446. vol. III. Ibid.]

k Si quis presbyter aut quilibet de clero aut de populo excommunicatum absque voluntate ipsius, qui eum ex- communicavit, sciens receperit, aut cum illo panem manducaverit, vel colloquium habere decreverit, simili sententiz subjacebit. Ibid. can. 39.

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moire. Apud Theodoret. hist. ec- des. 1. 2. c. (6. p. 595. vol. III.]

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ult. c. 7. [p. 952. vol. I.]

a

XXXII. how they are to be avoided. 525

it was deereed in an ancient council in London, 4 “‘ Let no one presume to receive into communion him that is excommuni- cated by another: which if any one shall knowingly do, let him be also deprived of Christian communion. All which being put together, we may well conclude, that excommunicate persons, so long as excommunicate, ought to be avoided.

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