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Our apostle here enters upon a new subject, namely, that of such discipline; not only exhorting, but commanding and requiring them to excommunicate from their society every brother or Christian professor walking disorderly, and not after the tradition or doctrine delivered by him against such persons.
Note here, 1. That though the apostle did oftentimes entreat and beseech, yet he had authority to enjoin and command; We command you, brethern.
Note, 2. That this authority to command he had not of himself, but from Christ; We command you in the name of the Lord Jesus. A minister must look that his commands be grounded upon the authority of Christ, or else they will lie with small weight upon the consciences of his people.
Note, 3. The special duty he commanded them to the practice and performance of, namely, to excomminicate scandalous and disorderly persons from their communion and familiar society; That ye withdraw yourselves. A man that is guilty of a notorious, scandalous sin, ought to be suspended from familiar converse and society with the saints, to shame him into repentance, before a public declarative excommunication casts him out of the church; We command you to withdraw yourself from every brother.
Note, 4. The offended described, a brother: that is, a professor of Christianity, be he who he will, and let his rank and station be what it will, if he walks disorderly, like a soldier that keeps not rank and file, as the word signifies; if he walks not after the tradition which he has received of us, that is, plainly according to the rule and direction of the gospel, let him be avoided.
Hence learn, That there is no church member, whose rank and station, whose quality and condition, doth exempt his disorderly, scandalous walking from ecclesiastical censure: Withdraw from every brother that walketh disorderly.