Chapter 31: Of Church Discipline and Censures
Scripture referenced in this chapter 6
Q. What is Church Discipline?
A. A personal application of the will of God by censures, for the preventing and removing of scandals.
Q. What are the parts of it?
A. Binding and loosing, which may be also called retaining and remitting of sins; and the former is either Admonition or Excommunication.
Q. What persons are subject to Church censures?
A. All and only they that are members of the Church (Matthew 18:15; 1 Corinthians 5:12; Psalms 149:4).
Q. In what way, and by what steps and degrees must an offending brother be dealt withal?
A. If the matter be private, I must first reprove him privately; if this does not win him, I must then take one or two more (Matthew 18:15, 16).
Q. How if this also prevail not?
A. Then the matter must be told to the Church, and the Church must publicly admonish him; and if he does not hear the Church, he is to be excommunicated (Matthew 18:17).
Q. In what manner must admonition or reproof, whether private or public, be administered?
A. Sometimes with meekness, and sometimes with severity and sharpness, according to the condition of the person sinning, the sin committed, and the manner of doing.
Q. How else?
A. Always with due solemnity, as an ordinance of God, in the name of Christ, and so that the winning of the party must be the thing that must be aimed at.
Q. What is Excommunication?
A. A putting away, or cutting off from the communion and fellowship of the Church (1 Corinthians 5:2, 13; Galatians 5:12; Matthew 18:17).
Q. For what sins must men be excommunicated?
A. For heinous and flagitious offences being publicly known, and for other offences persisted in with obstinacy after due admonition (1 Corinthians 5:1, 4, 5).
Q. For what end should men be excommunicated?
A. For the healing of the offender, and for the preserving others from sin, and for the glory of the name of God which is blasphemed because of the sin of Church members.
Q. How should a man behave himself towards them that are excommunicated?
A. He must avoid all Church communion with them, and all voluntary civil fellowship, that may argue approbation or familiarity: but not such duties as men are bound to in natural or civil respects.
Q. When must a man under censure be loosed and forgiven?
A. When he gives such signs of repentance as may satisfy rational charity that the sin is truly subdued and mortified (Luke 17:3, 4; 1 Corinthians 5:5; 2 Corinthians 2:6, 7, 8).
