Titus 1:12-13 One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.… The sharpest rebukes in the Church ought to aim at this end, the recovery of diseased Christians to soundness in religion both in judgment and practice; which appeareth in that the greatest ordinary censure in the Church is not mortal but medicinal. For as a surgeon cuts off arms and legs that the body and heart may be saved, so in this body, parts and members are cut off that themselves may be saved as well as their whole body. Paul excommunicateth the incestuous person that his spirit might be saved. Hymineus and Philetus were cast out to Satan that they might learn not to blaspheme. Those whom Jude wisheth to be pulled out of the fire by violence, must be saved thereby. If any object against this that in 1 Corinthians 16:21, "If any man love not the Lord Jesus, let him be had in execration to the death." And therefore edification and salvation is not the end of this censure. I answer, "It is one thing for the Church to excommunicate, another to curse and execrate; the one is an ordinary censure, the other very extraordinary and rare; the one against those who may be friends of the Church, the other only against desperate enemies, and open and obstinate apostates, even such as Julian, whom the Church judgeth to have sinned the sin against the Holy Ghost, and therefore execrateth and accurseth." (T. Taylor, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. |
    |