Two Letters, Containing: An Enquiry Concerning Church Discipline - Softcover

Thomas Chubb

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0461756358 ISBN 13: 9780461756357

Publisher: HardPress, 2020

Synopsis

Two Letters, Containing: An Enquiry Concerning Church Discipline: In Which Is Shown What Rules And Directions Christ And His Apostles Have Given With Relation Thereto. In A Letter To The Reverend Dr. Stebbing. An Enquiry Concerning Covenants: Wherein The New, Or Christian Covenant Is A collection by Thomas Chubb presenting two related inquiries into church governance and the nature of covenants. The first letter argues against the exclusive power of church authorities to excommunicate, urging that Christ’s parables (notably the tares and the Wheat) show that believers of all kinds should grow together until the final harvest, with discipline exercised openly by individual Christians rather than by a clerical hierarchy. It draws on New Testament passages (Matthew 18, Romans, 1 Corinthians, Titus) to argue for admonition, correction, and social separation rather than formal excommunication, and it critiques church structures that place power in clergy. The second letter examines the concept of covenants: distinguishing between God’s promises, signs, tokens, and the idea of a formal covenant, and arguing that the New Covenant is the Gospel of repentance and forgiveness rather than a contractual agreement. It also discusses how circumcision and other biblical tokens function as memorials rather than binding conditions. The work also includes a Defence of Protestantism, and related writings on liberty of conscience and church reform.

Edition details

• Publisher: HardPress
• Publication date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0461756358
• ISBN 13: 9780461756357
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 262