The Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University

has great influence on the favor of God thus, because it is a great and dreadful sin to be justly excommunicated, that

is, to be obstinate even to the reception of excommunication, greater than obstinacy otherwise would be. And [it is] a greater sin to be actually excommunicated than intentionally, than to be in his own intention (and the intention of the church too, [if]Apparently the word, if JE wrote one, was already lost from the margin when Dwight's copy was made. Dwight supplied "when," but it is doubtful that the intact margin contained room for so long a word. some accident hinders), as much as actual murder is worse than intentional. So that thus it is that God punishes such more remarkably with manifestations of his displeasure in this. For certainly he punishes them upon no other account but for their sin; and it is as certain, that God is not displeased with any man upon any other account but his sin. Wherefore, excommunication is truly a dreadful punishment upon this account, as well as [a] sin,Or, "as well as [the] sin," i.e. the sin that originally rendered the person subject to excommunication. and by this contrivance it is a punishment of God. So is it contrived that excommunication is a punishment from heaven, that it has great influence on the favor of God and manifestations of his favor. So excellently is this sort of punishment contrived, that when it is just it is exceedingly to be dreaded as a punishment from heaven, and [as] no punishment from heaven when it is altogether unjust, and all due care was taken by the person to avoid it.

Neither have men thereby the favor of God at all in their power; for God's displeasure is according to the greatness of men's sins, and not at all according to men's wills; but yet is much greater for just excommunication, and is justly followed with the marks of his anger: in the first ages sometimes by the actual bodily possession of the devil; and constantly by hellish horrors, and horrors of conscience, and a dreadful spiritual darkness and death, by reason of the inhabitation of the devil. And thus it is that whosesoever sins are justly retained, are retained in heaven. What man doth is not at all by way of rule or government, but only for himself. He refuses communion, and will not acknowledge such an one to be a Christian, and refuses to grant him communion with him; whereby he is deprived of all the external privileges of believers. What man doth is only for himself, to keep himself free from sin; but the punishment is Christ's, who is the sole head of the church.

But, it may be queried, suppose a man were absent at the intended time of excommunication, and he really thought and was fully persuaded

he was excommunicated, while his sin was not so great? I answer, no, his obstinacy is not so great, and his obstinacy don't remain with that aggravating circumstance of it. Neither can there be any instances given wherein his sin will be so great. But if there can, most certainly he is in the sight of God an excommunicate person, and His displeasure and the manifestations of it will be as great against him as if he were Likewise it is said, "Whosesoever sins ye remit, they shall be remitted in heaven";JE conflates John 20:23 and Matthew 16:19. because when he isMS: "they are." again received into communion, he don't continue to commit that sin of excommunication any longer.