Читать книгу The Standard Manual for Baptist Churches онлайн

24 страница из 35

Offenses calling for discipline are usually considered as of two classes: private or personal, and public or general. These terms do not very accurately express the nature of the offenses, but they are in common use, and capable of being understood. In the administration of corrective discipline, the following rules and principles constitute a correct and Scriptural course of proceeding:

private offenses

Private offenses pertain to personal difficulties between individuals, having no direct reference to the church as a body, and not involving the Christian profession at large. In such cases, the course prescribed by our Saviour (Matt. 18:15–17) is to be strictly followed, without question or deviation.

1. First step.—The member who considers himself injured must go to the offender, tell him his grief, and between themselves alone, if possible, adjust and settle the difficulty. “If thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault, between thee and him alone.” This must be done, not to charge, upbraid, or condemn the offender, but to win him. “If he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.”