1. Principal Baillie, writing in 1649, says: “Let excommunication be so seveer in Scotland as is possible, yet the hurt of it is but small: it is so rare an accident, men may live long in Scotland, and all their life never see that censure execute; I have lived in one of the greatest cities of that land and for fourty-seven years even from my birth to this day, that censure to my knowledge or hearing was never execute there in my dayes but twice; first upon one obstinate and very profaine Papist; and nixt on some horrible scandalous praelats.” Review of Bramble’s Faire Warning, p. 64.
This quote is from a footnote to David Hay Fleming’s The Discipline of the Reformation, Part 3, posted on the Naphtali Press website.
It is interesting to consider that excommunication from the Church of Scotland during the Reformation was a rare occurence.
Those of us who are acquainted with the group which calls itself the Reformed Presbytery of North America (General Meeting) know excommunication *from the Visible Church* to be so common that it is likely that more members of that group have been excommunicated (or have supposedly *excommunicated themselves*) than currently remain in the group.
This is a sad and frightening fact.
If only we had the kind of widespread spiritual prosperity and uniformity in Biblical truth today that they had in Scotland for many years, excommunication would still be a rare occurance.
joycee…when paul requested that those who were living outside of kindness be cast out of the body of believers..it was for the purpose of that in hopes they might return again in love. seems to me that the allignment of doctrinal belief stands in the way of relationship of the church and her groom. my opinion is less judgement, and more doing the will of the divine. 🙂