Bookclub: Aaron's Rod Blossoming Week 3

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Chapter XIII on Prynne's argument from 1 Cor. X was a pretty good answer. It seems strange he would consider that "unanswerable", I'd be curious to see his actual argument. Logan, have you been able to find a version of his Vindication online, or at least find the full citation?
 
Logan, have you been able to find a version of his Vindication online

Sure. What I have is:
A Vindication of Four Serious Questions of Grand Importance:
Concerning suspension from the Lord's supper, from some misprisions and unjust exceptions lately taken against them; both in the pulpit, by a reverend brother of Scotland, in a sermon at Margaret's Church in Westminster, before the Honourable House of Commons, at a public fast there held for Scotland, on the 5th of September last: and in the press, by three new-printed pamphlets, by way of answer to, and censure of them. Wherein some Scripture texts, (commonly produced for excommunication, and bare suspension from the Lord's supper only) are cleared from false glosses, inferences, conclusions wrested from them, with other particulars tending to the advancement of verity, unity, and the better, speedier settlement of a church-discipline, according to God's Word, so much desired.

Google books does not have a preview.
https://books.google.com/books?id=l8XJGwAACAAJ

However, it looks like it is on EEBO. Alan has offered to help with that since he has access through the university. Or perhaps you still do.
 
However, it looks like it is on EEBO. Alan has offered to help with that since he has access through the university. Or perhaps you still do.

I don't, unfortunately :( I'll ask Alan about that. Thanks for the citation.
 
For the latter end of the first book I noticed three recurring arguments in particular which are critical to Gillespie's position.

The first is the typological appeal that the OT ceremonies signified sanctification to the Christian church as equally as to the Jewish church. This means that ceremonial requirements had moral significance and the keeping back of the profane entailed keeping back the morally scandalous person also.

Secondly, there is a fall-back onto the argument from the lesser to the greater. Erastians interpret separation of the profane to be ceremonial only; Gillespie argues that if there was separation for ceremonials then there was much more need of separation in the case of moral scandals; and he provides various passages in which God shows His displeasure at the people observing ceremonial laws whilst ignoring moral demands.

Thirdly, the interpretation of the Erastians proves too much. It you believe there was no separation for scandalous offences, not even the magistrate could exercise discipline in these cases, whereas the Erastians maintain the key of discipline is in the hands of the magistrate where a nation is Christian.
 
Thank you, those are helpful observations. That connection between the excommunication for both moral and ceremonial seems to be key.

Chapter 13 has been proofed and is up. As a side note, I've been formatting and working on Book 2 Chapter 9 and it's extremely technical on the Greek especially. Perhaps a few hundred Greek words which is significantly slowing me down. I don't think there are many more chapters like this though.

As to thoughts on chapter 13, when Gillespie mentioned the manna and water from the rock being physical sustenance, and a cutting off would have been depriving them of nourishment and that there was a great difference between it and the Lord's table, that's the same thing I was thinking. It seems odd to make an "unanswerable" argument from such a comparison.

I also get the impression that it would not be fun to be Gillespie's opponent (or Coleman's or Prynne's, for that matter). Men could be very scathing and sarcastic in those days, as much as in ours.

One other thought: as I was reading through all the laws of the sanhedrin, many of which were very pompous and ridiculous, I thought how amazing it is that the Apostle Paul, who was inundated from a young age and a master in such things, abandoned it completely for the gospel. It doesn't even slightly colour his teaching. What a radical change was wrought in him!
 
One other thought: as I was reading through all the laws of the sanhedrin, many of which were very pompous and ridiculous, I thought how amazing it is that the Apostle Paul, who was inundated from a young age and a master in such things, abandoned it completely for the gospel. It doesn't even slightly colour his teaching. What a radical change was wrought in him!

Excellent reflection!
 
I'm a little over halfway done with formatting the book. Book 2, chapter 9, had about 300--400 greek words in it, which doesn't sound like a lot until you start typing them all :)

I've also found citations for 237 distinct sources Gillespie used, and another dozen or so I've not been able to track down. Obviously a well-researched guy.
 
What would be interesting is to collate the bibliography against the library sources available to Gillespie (as I did for his and the other Scots Commissioners in their parliament sermons). Might tie him to a place where he did most of the work, though CVD surmises most of the divines would have found the abbey library less than ideal. Sion college was not far from Calamy's house and not far from the lodgings of the Scottish Commissioners.
I've also found citations for 237 distinct sources Gillespie used, and another dozen or so I've not been able to track down. Obviously a well-researched guy.
**also, Lazarus Seamen had one of the largest personal libraries of the day and was walking distance from the Scots as well.
 
Would if I could put time in which would be considerable when it came to the abbey library book which is only in manuscript.
 
That does sound like a considerable amount of work.

Finished proofing the Appendix to book 1 and have uploaded the latest files. I've made the bibliography look a little cleaner with the URLs, which I hope some will find of value, especially for the English works.

I found the appendix a little refreshing, and am very much looking forward to the second book. Gillespie's gentle handling of excommunication, and the desire to restore a brother was a contrast to what seemed to happen in the Jewish synagogues.
 
And the rest of this week's reading is done and up.

I liked the very colorful language of Chapter 1. Clearly Gillespie saw this for the poison it was and was determined to see it fought down.

Also, chapter 2 made a simple, yet good case that I liked for the magistrate having his own role, and being able to consult with physicians on public disease, or with lawyers on special cases of the law, and so likewise should consult with ministers on things pertaining to Scripture. This isn't to take away from the magistrate's position at all, but recognize that it isn't his role, and that ordinarily he isn't an expert in it.
 
What would be interesting is to collate the bibliography against the library sources available to Gillespie (as I did for his and the other Scots Commissioners in their parliament sermons).

Providentially I just read that article in CP volume 6. It was interesting and lots of the titles were of course familiar, but I'm not sure if this bibliography would help. We still have books like Bucer's Scripta Anglicana; de Regno Christi; the former at least I think you said didn't appear in any library catalogue. He also definitely cites from Augustine's Opera (gives tome numbers) but I think you said too in the article that this didn't appear in any of those catalogues. It could be an interesting project, like you said.
 
I was later able to get copies of the auction catalogs for the libraries of Lazarus Seaman and William Greenhill, the former one of the largest private libraries of the time and the first ever auctioned, and the latter more modest in size. Neither had the two Bucer, though Seaman had several other Bucer titles. Seaman had a set of Augustine and as I think I noted lived not far away from the Scots Commissioners' quarters. I would have to check the Greenhill again; he was not close, pretty far away actually so not likely a book source as much as Seaman may have been.
What would be interesting is to collate the bibliography against the library sources available to Gillespie (as I did for his and the other Scots Commissioners in their parliament sermons).

Providentially I just read that article in CP volume 6. It was interesting and lots of the titles were of course familiar, but I'm not sure if this bibliography would help. We still have books like Bucer's Scripta Anglicana; de Regno Christi; the former at least I think you said didn't appear in any library catalogue. He also definitely cites from Augustine's Opera (gives tome numbers) but I think you said too in the article that this didn't appear in any of those catalogues. It could be an interesting project, like you said.
 
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