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officers of the Church and can be applied only by them when discipline becomes censure. There
are two different ways in which it may become the duty of a consistory to deal with a matter of
discipline. (a) Private sins can become a cause of discipline in the more technical sense of the
word in the manner indicated in Matt. 18:15-17. If one sins against a brother, the latter must
admonish the sinner; if this does not have the desired effect, he must admonish him again in
the presence of one or two witnesses; and if even this fails, then he must notify the Church, and
it becomes the duty of the officers to deal with the matter. It should be remembered, however,
that this method is prescribed for private sins only. The offence given by public sins cannot be
removed privately, but only by a public transaction. (b) Public sins make the sinner subject to
disciplinary action by the consistory at once, without the formality of any preceding private
admonitions, even if there is no formal accusation. By public sins are meant, not merely sins
that are committed in public, but sins that give public and rather general offence. The
consistory should not even wait until someone calls attention to such sins, but should take the
initiative. It was no honor for the Corinthians that Paul had to call their attention to the scandal
in their midst before they took action. I Cor. 5:1 ff.; nor was it an honor for the churches of
Pergamus and Thyatira that they did not rebuke and exclude the heretical teachers from their
midst, Rev. 2:14,15,20. In the case of public sins the consistory has no right to wait until
someone brings formal charges; neither has it the right to demand of anyone who finally feels
constrained to call attention to such sins that he admonish the sinner privately first. The matter
of public sins can not be settled in private.
The disciplinary action of the consistory passes through three stages: (a) The excommunicatio
minor, restraining the sinner from partaking of the Lord’s Supper. This is not public, and is
followed by repeated admonitions by the consistory, in order to bring the sinner to repentance.
(b) If the preceding measure does not avail, it is followed by three public announcements and
admonitions. In the first of these the sin is mentioned, but the sinner is not named. In the
second the name is made known in accordance with the advice of classis, which must first be
obtained. And in the third the imminent final excommunication is announced, in order that this
may have the consent of the congregation. During all this time the consistory, of course,
continues its admonitions. (c) Finally, this is followed by the excommunicatio major, by which
one is cut off from the fellowship of the Church, Matt. 18:17; I Cor. 5:13; Tit. 3:10,11. It is
always possible to reinstate the sinner, if he shows due repentance and confesses his sins, II
Cor. 2:5-10.
(4) The necessity of proper discipline.
The necessity of proper discipline is stressed in Scripture,
Matt. 18:15-18; Rom. 16:17; I Cor. 5:2,9-13; II Cor. 2:5-10; II Thess. 3:6,14,15; Tit. 3:10,11. The
church of Ephesus is praised because it did not bear with evil men, Rev. 2:2, and those of
Pergamus and Thyatira are reproved for harboring heretical teachers and heathen